StarWars Shortlist: 13 Directors Who Could Rule the Empire

Pretty much ever since it was announced that Disney had purchased Lucasfilm and was looking to release a seventh Star Wars installment by 2015, cinephiles – and nerds in general – have been dying to know who would be making the new flick.

Oscar-winning writer Michael Arndt was named earlier this month as the man who would pen Star Wars: Episode VII, but who will bring that script to life? No director has been announced, although reporters have been asking everyone from J.J. Abrams to Guillermo Del Toro if they'd be willing to tackle the big gig.

Most of the directors have expressed excitement about the project but few have said whether they've actually been approached about participating. Rumors about who is and isn't in talks to pick up the reins – as well as wish lists from blogs the world over – are all over the internet. But now that producer Frank Marshall, husband of Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy, has told MTV that the crop of prospective helmers has been narrowed down, we figured it couldn't hurt to suss out where our favorite directors are and what their chances are (or should be) for getting to run the Empire.

Click through the gallery above to see the state of the epic Star Wars director hunt, then hit the comments and let us know if there's another director who should be in the mix.

Why he'd be great for the gig: He was a peculiar choice when he was tapped to head up the Iron Man films, and he's done wonderful things with them. There's no reason to believe he couldn't do the same thing with Star Wars except ...

Why he'd be wrong for the gig:Cowboys & Aliens. His sci-fi space Western (sound familiar?) didn't perform as well as nerds had hoped. So there's that. Also, he's got his own Marveling to do.

Rumor mill: The director recently told HollywoodLife, "I think there is a lot of question marks of how they are going to do it, and who they are going to do it with, and what the story is going to be about; but to say that I am not excited about it is definitely an understatement. We'll see." But he didn't say he'd been approached about the films.

Why he'd be wrong for the gig: There's not really good a reason why he shouldn't do it, but he's also a very busy director these days.

Rumor mill: Speaking to the blog Fanhattan, Del Toro said, "You know, I saw it on the internet, but I haven’t approached them, they haven’t formally approached me." Note the emphasis on "formally" ... there's new hope! Oh, wait, he went on to say he has a lot of projects to think about before he could even consider it.

Why he'd be great for the gig: Did a fine job with the Star Trek reboot; why not try another starry title? Also, Abrams is a kid at heart who could easily turn the Star Wars universe into his own personal playground.

Why he'd be wrong for the gig: He doesn't seem to want it. Because he's such a huge fan.

Rumor mill: Abrams told HollywoodLife.com he thought the burden of an iconic franchise like Star Wars was a bit intimidating, adding, "I am looking forward more then anyone to the next iterations of Star Wars, but I believe I will be going as a paying moviegoer!"

Why he'd be wrong for the gig: Even though he's in good with Disney thanks to The Avengers and its upcoming sequel, those things also have him pretty occupied these days. Also, he seems to work better with material he's written himself (or at least had a hand in) and Episode VII already has a writer. Other than that, a Whedon Star Wars would be a wonderful thing to behold.

Rumor mill: Whedon's name comes up often in fanboy debates about who should get the keys to the kingdom, but so far there haven't been any rumors that he's being considered (at least not that we've seen). Also, Disney might want to keep him right where he is.

Why he'd be great for the gig: Not only did he direct Captain America: The First Avenger, he also helmed Jurassic Park III. He also did visual effects for the original Star Wars trilogy, so he's been involved with the canon since the beginning.

Why he'd be wrong for the gig: After nearly a quarter century of directing, he might be set in his ways and not want to embark on (potentially) a new trilogy.

Why he'd be great for the gig: He's the director behind both Kick-Ass and X-Men: First Class. That means that not only can he do awesome action flicks with heart, he is also smart enough to cast the brilliant likes of Michael Fassbender. He's also got a good track record finding potential princesses/queens, like Chloë Grace Moretz and Jennifer Lawrence (who he put in big roles largely before they were big names).

Why he'd be wrong for the gig: Honestly still trying to think of a good reason.

Rumor mill: There has been buzzing that Vaughn was in talks to direct the upcoming film. And it could explain why he recently exited the First Class sequel.

Why he'd be great for the gig: He's Peter Jackson. With his Lord of the Rings trilogy, he proved without a doubt that he can make epic films that can be watched over and over again. Also, New Zealand would make for some great shooting locations for a Star Wars flick. Bonus: He's tight with George Lucas bestie Steven Spielberg.

Why he'd be wrong for the gig: As a director he's more of a fantasy guy than a sci-fi guy. Also, he's already pretty busy.

Rumor mill: His name comes up in nerd circles when discussing the new Star Wars flick, but no word on whether he's been approached about the film.

Why he'd be great for the gig: It seemed like The Incredibles director Brad Bird would be an animation guy forever. Then he made Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol and it was kind of great. There's a good chance he could bring together the childlike glee he's done so well in his animation efforts with the big action chops he honed on Ghost Protocol to make a pretty cool Episode VII.

Why he'd be wrong for the gig: He's still not really a live-action veteran.

Why he'd be great for the gig: We hear his Batman movies were pretty good. He can clearly handle big franchises while also maintaining integrity and bringing realness to otherwise fantastical characters. That could be a good thing in a galaxy far, far away.

Why he'd be wrong for the gig: His films tend to be a bit darker than your typical Disney-backed sci-fi flick (not that that's a bad thing).

Rumor mill: There aren't many rumors about this (that we've seen). Anyone want to start one?

Why he'd be great for the gig: His first feature, Safety Not Guaranteed, was an amazing nerd love story for the ages. And even though he's relatively inexperienced, Disney has put less-than-blockbuster directors on big projects and let them run wild with great success (see: Whedon).

Why he'd be great for the gig: This is probably the longest shot on this list. Smith isn't really known for big sci-fi blockbusters, more for dick-and-fart-joke flicks like Clerks and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. But he's a confirmed Star Wars fanboy and mentions the flicks in almost every film he makes. He knows the canon inside and out and could inject a bit of goofy humor into the franchise.

Why he'd be wrong for the gig: He's not really known for big sci-fi blockbusters and he might enjoy talking about Star Wars more than making it.

Rumor mill: He essentially wrote an open letter to Disney in The Hollywood Reporter about how to not screw up the new Star Wars films. But he doesn't seem to really be in the running. And his advice to Disney was to make the movie a Boba Fett time-travel flick.

Why he'd be great for the gig: Sometimes you just wonder what would happen if Han Solo started calling Chewbacca "Mr. Brown" and Princess Leia had a heroin overdose. But maybe that's just what happens when you watch Return of the Jedi after Reservoir Dogs

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Why he'd be wrong for the gig: Any Tarantino Star Wars flick would definitely not be family-friendly.

Rumor mill: Tarantino has already gone on the record saying he "could so care less" about the new flicks.

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